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'Homeland's' Dana Brody and other annoying TV characters we love to hate

By Chuck Barney

Contra Costa Times

Posted:
11/19/2013 12:00:00 PM PST

Updated:
11/19/2013 04:36:20 PM PST

Anyone who follows "Homeland," Showtime's once-electrifying spy drama, is surely aware that the hate for Dana Brody has grown to epic proportions.

The character, as played by Morgan Saylor, is a moody, angsty teen who pouts and frowns and mumbles her way through scenes while sending fans over the edge.

As is the custom these days, the vitriol for Dana has spilled over into social media, where the comments have ranged from "Dana Brody is the bane of my existence" to "God please. Can Dana Brody just die?"

Viewer annoyance became heightened this season by the fact that Dana has received an inordinate amount of screen time, while her father, Nicholas Brody (Emmy winner Damian Lewis), has been mostly absent. In fact, when two recent episodes featured no Dana scenes, fans took to Twitter and erupted in glee.

All of which got us wondering: Who are the most annoying characters on TV these days? Can anyone in prime time give Dana Brody a run for her money?

Of course, we need to make a distinction: There are characters who are meant to be annoying on purpose. Think Joffrey, the sniveling little twerp of a kid king on "Game of Thrones." There's no defense for him. We're absolutely supposed to loathe the guy.

But then there are others who are essentially decent people who just happen to get on our nerves: Characters like Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) on "How I Met Your Mother" (let's give thanks to the TV gods that the show is in its final season) or Mr. Schue (Matthew Morrison) on "Glee." Good guys, but overly earnest, bland and annoying ones, too.

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Sometimes, you can start out liking a character and eventually find yourself turned off by him. For me, Cyrus (Jeff Perry) of "Scandal" falls into this category. The White House chief of staff used to be compelling, but now I get so annoyed by his histrionics and loud, over-the-top demeanor that I just want him to go away.

Then there are times when the annoyance grows into outright Dana-like hate. Earlier this year, my wife and I were watching a "Mad Men" scene featuring slimy weasel Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser). Suddenly, she stiffened on the couch, pointed at the screen and blurted:

"I just want to punch that guy and stomp on his face!"

Her reaction stunned me. My wife is generally a peace-loving type. But that's a great example of how TV folk can get under our skin and aggravate us to no end.

So who have we left out? Which characters irritate the heck out of you? Please send your lists to the email address at the bottom of this column so I can share them with the world at a future date.

I'm here for you. Go ahead and vent.

VALLEY BOYS: Last week, Amazon Studios posted for all to see the first three episodes of "Alpha House," a political satire set in Washington, D.C. This week, it jumps coasts and lands in the Bay Area with the Silicon Valley startup sitcom, "Betas." Apparently, Amazon has a thing for the Greek alphabet.

"Betas," which will be posted Friday at Amazon.com, follows four tech-savvy friends as they attempt to strike it rich with a new mobile social networking app. The cast is mainly stocked with fresh faces, except for veteran actor Ed Begley Jr., who is a hoot as a hippie-turned-investment mogul.

The show crackles with witty (and jargony) banter and mostly succeeds at making its tech world fun and engaging -- something Randi Zuckerberg's "Start-Up: Silicon Valley" reality series too often failed to do. But the problem with "Betas" is that it's an uneven show that's just good enough to make you wish it were better.

For example, it has a standout character in Nash (Karan Soni), a programming prodigy who digs Christopher Cross and Kenny Loggins. He's brilliant, but his anal work habits and introverted ways are holding him back. You instantly want to root for him.

But "Betas" also contains stock characters like Hobbes (Jon Daly), a loud, Adderall-popping, porn-loving slacker. He does bring some energy, but we've seen way too many guys like him on TV and film, and too often, he's more annoying than amusing. (Yes, another one for our list.)

Oh, and one more thing: We know the Golden Gate Bridge is really pretty, but can someone please inform Hollywood that San Francisco is not the heart of Silicon Valley?